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will conquer? The pleasure of the flesh, or the sanctification of the soul? The enjoyment of present things or the desire of things to come? Will angels receive you, or will those who hold fast hold you back? In battle formation, the generals distribute the password to those under them, so that friends may easily recognize one another, and that against the enemies, if they get mixed up in the fighting, a clear separation can exist. No one will know you, if you are ours, or of the adversaries, if you do not provide familiarity by the mystical symbols, if the light of the Lord’s face is not marked upon you. How will the angel claim you? how will he snatch you from the enemies, if he does not recognize the seal? How will you say, 'I am of God,' not bearing the tokens? Or do you not know that the destroyer passed over the sealed houses, but in the unsealed ones he killed the firstborn?

An unsealed treasure is an easy target for thieves; an unmarked sheep is plotted against without risk. Are you young? Secure your youth with the bridle of baptism. Has your prime passed? do not lose your provisions, do not destroy the amulet, do not think about the eleventh hour as if it were the first; since it is fitting that even one who is beginning life should have the end in his eyes. If some physician promised you by some devices and inventions to make you young from an 31.433 old man, would you not have desired that day to come, on which you were about to see yourself returning to your prime? But since baptism promises you that your soul will bloom again, which you have made old, and have shown it to be wrinkled from iniquities, and stained, do you despise the benefactor, and not run to the promise? Do you not desire to see what is the great wonder of the promise? how a man is born again without a mother? how he who is growing old and corrupt according to the deceitful lusts is vigorous again, and is rejuvenated, and returns to the true flower of youth? Baptism is a ransom for captives, a forgiveness of debts, a death of sin, a rebirth of the soul, a garment of light, a seal that cannot be assailed, a chariot to heaven, a procurer of the kingdom, a gift of adoption. Of so many and so great goods, wretch, do you consider pleasure more valuable? For I understand your postponement, even if you cover it up with words; the actions themselves cry out, even if you are silent with your voice. Let me, I shall make full use of the flesh for the enjoyment of shameful things, I shall roll in the mire of pleasures, I shall bloody my hands, I shall take away what belongs to others, I shall walk deceitfully, I shall perjure myself, I shall lie; and then I will receive baptism, when I ever cease from evils. If, then, sin is good, keep it to the end; but if it is harmful to the one who does it, why do you persist in deadly things? No one, seeking to vomit up bile, gathers more of it for himself from a bad and intemperate diet. It is fitting to cleanse the body of things that cause pain, but not, however, to make the disease greater than one's strength. It is clear for how long a ship bears the weight of its cargo, but what is beyond that sinks it. Fear lest you also suffer similar things, and having made your sins greater than the forgiveness, you suffer shipwreck before the hoped-for harbors.

Does God not see what happens? or does he not understand your thoughts? or does he work iniquities with you? You have supposed iniquity, he says, that I will be like you. But you, when seeking the friendship of a mortal man, win him over through benefactions, saying and doing those things in which you perceive him to rejoice; but when drawing near to God, and hoping to be received into the rank of a son, doing things hateful to God, 31.436 and dishonoring him through the transgression of the law, do you hope for intimacy from those things by which you especially offend? See to it lest, in the hope of redemption, having collected a multitude of evils for yourself, you gather sin, but fail to obtain forgiveness. God is not mocked. Do not make merchandise of grace. Do not say: The law is good, but sweeter

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νικήσει; ἡδονὴ σαρκὸς, ἢ ἁγιασμὸς ψυχῆς; ἀπόλαυσις τῶν παρόντων ἢ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιθυμία; Ἄγγελοί σε παραλήψον ται, ἢ καθέξουσιν οἱ κατέχοντες; Ἐπὶ παρατάξεως οἱ στρατηγοὶ τὸ σύνθημα τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοὺς διανέ μουσιν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ φίλοι ῥᾳδίως ἀλλήλους ἀνακαλῶνται, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους, ἐὰν ἐν ταῖς συμπλοκαῖς ἀνα μιχθῶσιν, εὐκρινὴς δύνηται ὑπάρχειν ὁ χωρισμός. Οὐδεὶς ἐπιγνώσεταί σε, εἰ ἡμέτερος εἶ, ἢ τῶν ὑπ εναντίων, ἐὰν μὴ τοῖς μυστικοῖς συμβόλοις παράσχῃ τὴν οἰκειότητα, ἐὰν μὴ σημειωθῇ ἐπὶ σὲ τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου Κυρίου. Πῶς ἀντιποιηθῇ σου ὁ ἄγγελος; πῶς δὲ ἀφέληται τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιγνῷ τὴν σφραγῖδα; Πῶς δὲ σὺ ἐρεῖς, Τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι, μὴ ἐπι φερόμενος τὰ γνωρίσματα; Ἢ ἀγνοεῖς, ὅτι τὰς ἐσφραγισμένας οἰκίας ὁ ὀλοθρευτὴς ὑπερέβαινεν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀσφραγίστοις κατεφόνευε τὰ πρωτότοκα;

Ἀσφράγιστος θησαυρὸς εὐεπιχείρητος κλέπταις· πρόβατον ἀσημείωτον ἀκινδύνως ἐπιβουλεύεται. Νέος εἶ; ἀσφάλισαι τὴν νεότητα τῷ τοῦ βαπτί σματος χαλινῷ. Παρέδραμεν ἡ ἀκμή; μὴ ζημιωθῇς τὰ ἐφόδια, μὴ ἀπολέσῃς τὸ φυλακτήριον, μὴ περὶ τῆς ἑνδεκάτης ὥρας ὡς περὶ πρώτης διανοοῦ· ὅπου γε προσήκει καὶ τὸν ἀρχόμενον τοῦ βίου ἐν ὀφθαλ μοῖς ἔχειν τὴν τελευτήν. Εἴ τις ἰατρῶν ἐπηγγέλλετό σοι μηχαναῖς τισι καὶ ἐπινοίαις νέον ποιήσειν ἐκ γέ 31.433 ροντος, οὐκ ἂν ἐπεθύμησας ἐλθεῖν ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέ ραν, ἐν ᾗ σεαυτὸν ὁρᾷν ἔμελλες πρὸς ἀκμὴν ὑπο στρέφοντα; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀναθα λήσειν ἐπαγγέλλεταί σοι τὸ βάπτισμα, ἣν σὺ ἐπαλαίω σας, καὶ ῥυσὴν αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀνομιῶν, καὶ ἐσπιλωμένην ἀπέδειξας, καταφρονεῖς τοῦ εὐεργέτου, καὶ οὐ προστρέχεις τῷ ἐπαγγέλματι. Οὐκ ἐπιθυμεῖς ἰδεῖν τί τὸ μέγα θαῦμα τῆς ὑποσχέσεως; πῶς ἄνευ μητρὸς ἀναγεννᾶται ἄνθρωπος; πῶς ὁ παλαιούμενος καὶ φθειρόμενος κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης σφριγᾷ πάλιν, καὶ ἀνηβᾷ, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἄνθος τῆς νεότητος ἐπανέρχεται; Βάπτισμα αἰχμαλώτοις λύτρον, ὀφλημάτων ἄφεσις, θάνατος ἁμαρτίας, παλιγ γενεσία ψυχῆς, ἔνδυμα φωτεινὸν, σφραγὶς ἀνεπι χείρητος, ὄχημα πρὸς οὐρανὸν, βασιλείας πρόξενον, υἱοθεσίας χάρισμα. Τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τηλικού των, ἄθλιε, προτιμοτέραν ἄγεις τὴν ἡδονήν; Νοῶ γάρ σου τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν, κἂν περιστέλλῃ τοῖς ῥήμασιν· αὐτὰ βοᾷ τὰ πράγματα, κἂν τῇ φωνῇ σιωπᾷς. Ἔασον, ἀποχρήσωμαι τῇ σαρκὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν αἰσχρῶν, ἐγκυλισθῶ τῷ βορβόρῳ τῶν ἡδονῶν, αἱμάξω τὰς χεῖρας, ἀφέλωμαι τὰ ἀλ λότρια, δολίως πορευθῶ, ἐπιορκήσω, ψεύσωμαι· καὶ τότε τὸ βάπτισμα, ὅταν λήξω ποτὲ τῶν κακῶν, ὑποδέξομαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν καλὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία, φύ λασσε ταύτην εἰς τέλος· εἰ δὲ βλαβερὰ τῷ ποιοῦντι, τί ἐπιμένεις τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις; Οὐδεὶς, χολὴν ἐμέσαι ζητῶν, ἐκ πονηρᾶς καὶ ἀκολάστου διαίτης πολυπλα σίονα ταύτην ἑαυτῷ συναθροίζει. Καθαίρειν προσῆκε τῶν λυπούντων τὸ σῶμα, οὐ μέντοι κατασκευάζειν τὴν νόσον μείζονα τῆς δυνάμεως. Φαίνεται ἡ ναῦς μέχρι τίνος τὸ βάρος τῶν ἀγωγίμων ὑφίσταται, τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο καταβαπτίζει. Φοβήθητι μὴ καὶ σὺ τὰ παραπλήσια πάθῃς, καὶ μείζονα τῆς ἀφέσεως ποιήσας τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, πρὸ τῶν ἐλπισθέντων λιμένων ὑποστῇς τὸ ναυάγιον.

Οὐ βλέπει Θεὸς τὰ γινόμενα; ἢ οὐ νοεῖ σου τὰ ἐνθυμήματα; ἢ συνερ γάζεταί σοι τὰς ἀνομίας; Ὑπέλαβες ἀνομίαν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἔσομαί σοι ὅμοιος. Σὺ δὲ, ἀνδρὸς μὲν θνη τοῦ φιλίαν πραγματευόμενος, δι' εὐεργεσίας αὐτὸν προσάγῃ, ἐκεῖνα λέγων καὶ πράττων οἷσπερ ἂν αἴσθῃ χαίροντα· Θεῷ δὲ προσοικειούμενος, καὶ εἰς τὴν υἱοῦ τάξιν ἐλπίζων παραδεχθήσεσθαι, τὰ ἐχθρὰ τῷ Θεῷ 31.436 πράττων, καὶ διὰ τοῦ νόμου παραβάσεως ἀτιμάζων αὐτὸν, ἐξ ὧν μάλιστα προσκρούεις, ἐκ τούτων ἐλπί ζεις τὴν οἰκειότητα; Ὅρα μὴ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀπο λυτρώσεως, πλῆθος κακῶν σεαυτῷ συλλεξάμενος, τὴν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν συναθροίσῃς, τῆς δὲ συγχωρήσεως ἀποτύχῃς. Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται. Μὴ ἐμπορεύου τὴν χάριν. Μὴ εἴπῃς· Καλὸς μὲν ὁ νόμος, ἀλλ' ἡδίων